Cardfight! Vanguard SC: Defenders of the Gate
by YudaiMatsuro
Summary: Yudai Matsuro. An everyday, teenager without drive or ambition takes up a new game called Cardfight! Vanguard. Little does he know, that in doing so, his entire world will change right before him. Through many encounters, fights, and challenges, he learns that he and two others are destined to save Cray and Earth from an evil entity called the Void. Will he succeed or fail?
1. Chapter One: Vanguard, huh?

He stared out the window of the train with a bored expression on his face. Yudai was a good(ish) guy, did well in school, had a loving family and a best friend. But something was missing from his life. Excitement. He craved something that would fuel him with adrenaline, something that could make him excited just by hearing the name of it, something that he could talk about and say "Hey, I do this just because I love doing it.". But no. He had just been living a meaningless life, and he didn't want to lie on his death bed and say "I've done nothing I can say I truly enjoyed doing". He sighed heavily. "Maybe I'll pick up a hobby or something like that..." he said out loud, brushing his red bangs out of his eyes.

"If you want a hobby, I've got just the thing for you, Red Riding Hood," someone said to Yudai. He looked up, to come face-to-face with his best friend, Reisuke Asuka, but everyone knew him as 'Rei'. Yudai hissed. He hated it when Rei called him that.

"Hobby? What is it? Knowing you it's probably lame like bird-watching or something, you herb." Yudai retaliated. Rei gave him a goofy grin. The thing he loved and secretly admired about Rei Asuka, is that no matter the situation, no matter the circumstances, he always smiled. And it was a wonderful smile. A Godsent.

"Meet me after school and I'll show you", Rei said. Yudai was about to inquire further, the train had already met its stop and Rei sprinted out in a sudden release of energy. "Sure, whatever you say, Rei,"Yudai said to himself.

Six and a half hours later the school day was over and Yudai was waiting at the bus stop, looking at his watch from time to time. "The guy says we're gonna do something fun and he's late. Usual Rei, that's for sure." He turned to see Rei running towards him, panting heavily. "Well look who decided to show," Yudai said to his currently out-of-breath friend.

"Cut me some slack, dude. Anyway, I'm here at least, so we can go now." Rei countered. Conveniently, as he said that, the bus arrived at the stop and the two got on.

After a ten-minute bus ride, the pair arrived in the city centre. They got off the bus, walked for a little while, got lost, and started walking again until they reached a shop with a sign that said 'Card Capital'.

"Okay, we're here," Rei said to Yudai. Yudai looked up to read the sign and furrowed his brows.

"Card Capital?"

"Yeah, this is the original of two shops, but it's just as modern as the other one. They say that the world's greatest cardfighters all used to play here three years ago."

"Not quite sure what you're getting at, but sure, whatever."

Rei explained. The two boys entered the shop, only to meet a cat on the counter. The were a few tables, chairs for people to play on, not to mention a really cool, futuristic-looking table at the back. They were tens of dozens of cards for sale on the counter and shelves.

"Welcome to Card Capital. May I help you?" the boys heard a feminine voice say to them. They turned to a young woman in her early twenties with long hair that was a very light shade of lilac. She seemed nice but had a strange sort of air about her that made what to bow to her out of fear. Her name was Misaki Tokura, a cardfighter revered worldwide due to her strategies using her excellent memory using her clans, Oracle Think Tank and Genesis.

"Yes ma'am, I'm trying to get my friend to try out Cardfight! Vanguard. Could we borrow some of the Trial Decks, please?" Rei asked the woman.

"No problem, just make sure you're careful with them. Any damages will be coming out of your pocket, Rei." Rei thanked her and she went into the storage rooms to get the rental decks. "Cardfight! Vanguard?" Yudai asked Rei. "What's that?" Rei tilted his head to the side as if Yudai's question confused him.

"C'mon, Yudai...You know Vanguard. Remember? The game Yui used to-"

"Rei!" Yudai snapped. Rei flinched. Heads turned. Realised that he had yelled, he calmed down. "Sorry, it...just still hurts, I guess..." Yudai said softly. It still hurt to talk about her. No, that's not it. It still hurt to remember her. It was like picking at a scab. You think it's healed, but then blood comes again. As if on cue, Misaki returned with a basket full of Vanguard trial decks.

"Here you go. Those are all the rental decks I could find. And remember; be careful with them." Misaki instructed as she laid the basket on the counter.

"Okay, Yu. Go ahead and choose one." Rei urged. Yudai sighed and walked closer to the counter.

"Fine. I choose..."


	2. Chapter Two: The Thrill of a Cardfight

"Fine. I choose..." Yudai started until he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his eyes. It was as if his eyes were telling him what to do. He walked over to a shelf, moved two items out of the way and revealing a small cardboard box. "I'll take this one," Yudai said, picking up the box. He lifted off the cover of the box and saw the deck of cards inside. Then he frowned. "Wait a sec. How did I know there was a deck over there?" He thought.

"I think were only allowed to...What trial deck is that?" Rei asked.

"You're seriously asking me?" Yudai asked in a sarcastic tone. Yudai looked at the box in more detail. Instead of a cool box and box art like the others, this deck was just in a small, regular box with words written on it with a marker. It read "Defenders of the Cosmos". Rei peaked over his shoulder.

"Cosmic Sanctum cards? Woah, mind if I take a look at those." Yudai handed him the cards and Rei flicked through them. "Little Stargazer, Regulus. Asteroid Keeper, Pallas. Star Cluster Titan. Twinkle Lady, Adelaide. And even a G Unit? Woah, they seem legit. Hey, Manager, is it okay if my buddy uses these cards?" He asked. Misaki walked over and took the cards from Rei and scanned through them, her facial expression ever changing as she flipped through each card.

"These cards...Where did you find them?" she asked. Yudai edged his head in the direction of the shelf.

"I just found them behind some stuff on that shelf over there." He explained. Misaki shifted to a contemplative state, twirling her hair between her fingers as she stared at the cards.

"Well, even though unregistered in the inventory, I may be so bold to say this deck is store property. But, I'll let you use it. But after that, I'll take them to FIVA and have them examined." Yudai's eyes narrowed. He didn't know why, but the thought of those cards being taken away displeased him for some reason. What was going on with him? This didn't go unnoticed by Misaki. "Tell you what. Impress me, and that deck is yours to keep. Free of charge, even," said Misaki. Yudai raised his eyebrows.

"Impress you how?"

"Well, you can fight your friend over there. If you can beat him in a cardfight, you pass. Sound fair?" Yudai shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Not really. I don't even know how to play." He said, though trailing off at the last part.

 _"Yudai, look what Mom gave me today! It's from a game called Vanguard!" The girl showed Yudai the deck of cards. "Look she got you one too! Wanna play with me?" She asked. Yudai leant closer to see his share of cards._

 _"Nah. Looks lame. Later, Yui, I'm going to my room." He replied._

 _"Big brother, that's mean!" She said, puffing out here cheeks."_

"I wouldn't worry about that. I've seen newbies defeat seasoned fighters during their first time playing," said Misaki, thinking about one blue-haired individual in particular. Yudai sighed and gave in, deciding to accept The Manager's wager.

"Fine. I've got nothing better to be doing right now."

The three went to the back of the store and Rei took out a strange rectangular device. "What's that?" Yudai asked his friend.

"Oh, this is a Fighter's Card or FiCa for short. It's given to anyone who wants to register as an official cardfighter. It also helps to know the skill level of your opponent" Rei held up his FiCa, which had a brick red streak on it. "I'm a Grade 2. So I'm no pushover, you hear?" Rei said to his friend/opponent.

"Whatever you say, dude," he replied. Rei put his Fica on a fitting section on the fight table. Once he did this the table 'said' the words "Stand up, Vanguard".

"Cool, huh?" said Rei. "The Federation of International Vanguard Associations, or FIVA, provide all card shops in the city with these Interactive Fight Tables. Now choose where you want to go on Cray." Rei said as he swiped the surface of the table with his finger. Each time he did, the screen would show a collection of different landscapes, from ravaged battlefields to tranquil libraries containing untold knowledge.

"Cray?" Yudai asked in a puzzled tone.

"Cray is kinda like Earth's parallel world. All the units you see on the cards inhabit that world. That's why it's important to have a strong imagination to forge a link between this world and theirs. The units you play are actually doing battle on Cray, so you have to give it your best." Rei explained, very much over-exuberantly.

 _"Yui, I'm serious! I don't want to play cards with you!"_

 _"But Yudai, if you don't, the creatures on Cray will be sad that you won't play with them!"_

 _"Oh, come on! Now you're just talking crazy..."_

"Hmph. Like I'd believe something made up like that, " he said, causing Rei frown.

"Whatever, let's go. But first, give me the deck for a sec."

"Okay..." Yudai handed the deck over to Rei. Rei scanned through it and took a card out of the deck and put it on the game board, separate from the other cards. Save this guy for later. Trust me." He set the map of Cray to the Gold Paladin training grounds, a vast grassland area located near a volcano.

"To start a cardfight, you choose a Grade 0 unit from your deck and put it face down on the Vanguard circle," said Rei pointing to the vanguard circle. "A word of advice, pick one without an icon in the top right corner." Yudai nodded and put the unit on the circle after taking it from his deck. "Now draw five cards from your deck. Those cards become your Hand, a very important resource during a fight. It's important that you have cards that are Grade 1, 2 and 3 so you can ride through the grades. If not, you can perform a re-draw, where you send cards from your hand back to the deck and draw the same amount, but you can only do this once at the beginning of the game. You got all that?" Yudai processed everything for a moment and then nodded. "Good, so now we both say "Stand up, Vanguard" so the game can begin."

"Stand up, Vanguard! They both said as Yudai's circle glowed crimson and Rei's glowed a bright gold.

"Little Stargazer, Regulus!"(Grade 0, 5000)

"White Fire Crusader, Nero!"(Grade 0, 5000)

"Oh? A new deck, Rei?" Misaki asked him, to which he replied with a nod.

"Since your new at this, I'll take the first turn, okay?"Rei asked Yudai getting a nod in response. "Okay, you start each of your turns by drawing a card." He said, drawing his card. "Then you place one unit from your hand on the vanguard circle that is the same or one grade higher than the current vanguard. This action is called a _Ride_. The card that was previously on the vanguard circle becomes part of the current vanguard's _Soul_ , but we don't need to go into that right now. So without further adieu, I rideFlame Wizard Crusader, Scorch!" _(Grade 1, 8000)_ Rei said as he slammed his card down on the circle, and the knight child was succeeded by a young man dressed his a red cloak holding a flaming sceptre. "Nero is a unit from the Gold Paladin Clan. Each card in this game a subdivided into factions called _Clans_. Mine is Gold Paladin, and yours is this one apparently called Cosmic Sanctum. Thanks to Nero's special ability called Forerunner, when a Gold Paladin unit rides him, I can call him to a rear-guard circle from the soul stack."

"What's a rear-guard circle? And Call?" Yudai asked.

"I'm glad you asked. A Vanguard is nothing without his rear-guards. The five circles around the vanguard circle are known as the rear-guard. You can call as many units as you want as long in these circles, as long as they have a lower or equal grade to the Vanguard. This action is a _Call_. Get it?"

"Um...yeah. I get it."

"Good, well since I can't attack you on the first turn, I'll turn it over to you."

Damage: Rei: 0/6 Yudai:0/6

Card in Hand: Rei:5 Yudai:5

"O-Okay, my turn. I..um...draw" Yudai stammered, insecurely taking the top card of his deck. "I ride Comet Rider, Geo! _"(Grade 1, 8000)_ Yudai said, trying repeat what his friend did on his turn. "I move Regulus to the rear. Okay, now what?"

"You can proceed to your battle phase. To attack, put your attacking unit in a horizontal position, called the _Rest_ position. Now to explain what the rear-guards do. Rear-Guards in the front alongside your vanguard can attack. Rear-Guards in the back can lend the power to the attacking unit to boost the attack as long they have the Boost skill which usually belongs to Grade 0 and 1 units. You see that icon under Regulus' grade? That's a Boost symbol. Try it." Yudai did just that. "When attacking the opponent can choose whether or not to use the cards in their hand as Shields. All units, with the exception of Grade 3s, have a shield value on the left side of the card. Their shield value is added to the current power of the defending unit, and if the addition of power and shield is higher than the attack of the attacking unit's power, the attack is rendered ineffective." Rei explained.

"I get it now. The Vanguard and the Rear-Guards co-operate in order to maximise their effectiveness. This is actually...pretty interesting..."Yudai thought to himself. "Okay! I'll use my Regulus to boost Geo to attack your vanguard!" _(Power: 13000)_

"As I said, the player being attacked is given a choice to guard. I choose not to guard. Now, because your Vanguard is attacking, you reveal the top card of your deck. See if you can reveal a unit with an icon in the top right corner of the card. Those are called _Trigger Units_ , and they are revealed by a _Drive Check_. Also, the checked cards are added to your hand."

"So it's all up to chance? How lame..." sighed Yudai.

 _ **[Drive Check] - Stellar Combustion, Zeke - Critical Trigger**_

Yudai eyes widened. "I actually got one?" He asked himself. He couldn't tell what he was feeling right then. I felt so foreign to him. Could it have been...the excitement he'd been craving?

"Nice pull! You got a critical trigger!"

"Okay...care to explain?"

"Triggers give a unit of your choice an extra 5000 power, as well as an added effect for the player. The one you just checked was a _Critical Trigger_ , which gives 5000 power and an extra Critical to any unit you choose." Yudai scratched the back of his neck.

"Slow down there, buddy. You haven't explained what a Critical is yet." Rei pointed to a star-like icon beside Geo's power.

"A units Critical is basically how much damage it can deal upon landing an attack. As of now, all units base critical's are one, so normally I would take one damage. But since you got a critical trigger, you can increase the critical of your vanguard. So since your attack succeeded, I have to do what's called a _Damage Check._ Here, trigger effects can also be activated and the checked cards are put into the _Damage Zone_ right here. The Damage Zone is an important thing to watch because once six cards have been put into here, you lose the fight. Thanks to the critical trigger you pulled, I perform two damage checks instead of one. So I check the top two and see what I get." Rei flipped over two cards, the second emitted a red aura.

 _ **[Damage Check] - Falcon Knight of the Azure - Draw Trigger**_

"Yes! I got a Draw Trigger! With this, I can give one unit 5000 power and I can draw one card.

"Okay, then I guess I end it there," Yudai said to Rei, a slight smile creeping onto his face. "This is kinda fun..." he said accidently out loud. It was quiet but still audible.

"Did you say something?" Rei asked. Yudai face flushed bright red.

"Nothing! Just hurry up and take your turn!"

Damage: Rei:2/6 Yudai:0/6

Cards in Hand: Rei:6 Yudai:6

"My turn. Since you've pretty much got the rules down, there's no reason I should hold back. I ride Photon Crusader Knight!" _(Grade 2, 10000)_ "I call another Scorch, and then Party Crusader behind him!" _(Grade 1, 7000)_ Rei said. "First I'll have my Party Crusader boost my Magician to attack you." _(Power: 15000)_

"No guard," said Yudai as his first damage flew into the damage zone.

 _ **[Damage Check] - Lunanik - No Trigger**_

"Now my vanguard attacks boosted by Nero!" _(Power: 15000)_

"Again, I don't guard."

"Then I'll do a drive check," Rei said as he slowly checked the card.

 _ **[Drive Check] - Runebau Crusader - Stand Trigger**_

"Woohoo! A _Stand Trigger!_ I give 5000 power to Magician and he can stand for another attack!"

"You're joking..."Yudai groaned. "Scorch attacks Geo once again!" _(Power: 13000)_

"Dream on. I guard with Stellar Combustion, Zeke!" Yudai placed the card horizontally on the Guardian Circle of the table, which made a green flashing effect and a strange sound effect. "The 10000 power shield adds to the 8000 power of my vanguard, which means the shield is 18000, yeah?" _(Shield: 18000)_.

Rei was actually impressed by Yudai's flexibility easing into the game. "Nice work there, Red. My turn's done."

Damage: Rei2/6 Yudai:2/6

Cards in Hand: Rei: 4 Yudai:5

"Stand and draw. I ride Comet Rider, Nova!" _(Grade 2, 10000)_ "I call Meteor Knight, Chondrite (Grade 2, 9000) and Spatial Magician, Pandora! _(Grade 1, 7000)_ "I'll have Chondrite attack your vanguard with Pandora's boost!" _(Power:16000)_

"I guard with Masked Crusader!" Rei placed the Critical Trigger onto the Guardian Circle. _(Shield: 20000)_.

"Okay, then Nova attacks boosted by Regulus." _(Power: 15000)_

"I won't guard." "Okay, drive trigger check..." Yudai picked up the card, smirking with anticipation.

 _ **[Drive Check] - Cosmic Saviour, Orionus - No trigger**_

"Well that was just plain disappointing," Yudai said frowning because he didn't pull a trigger.

"Well, sometimes you get some a sometimes you don't. I guess it comes down to the luck of the draw sometimes," Rei said as he acquired his third damage.

 _ **[Damage Check] - Masked Crusader - Critical Trigger**_

"Well, I'm done," Yudai said with a confident smirk. Rei gave him a toothy grin.

"Enjoying ourselves, are we?" Rei taunted.

"Like I'd really be enjoying myself! I'm just happy that I'm kicking your butt at your favourite game!"

Damage: Rei3/6 Yudai:2/6

Cards in Hand: Rei: 3 Yudai:3

"My Turn. Well Yudai, you're about to see why I'm the store's No. 1 player! Yudai's eyes twitched, then he turned to Misaki, giving her the death glare.

"He's the store's best cardfighter?! And you're getting me to play him seriously for my first game?!"

"Well, I'm not just going to give you the deck unless you've been properly tested." Misaki countered.

"You're one devious lady. But I'm not losing to this idiot. Come at me, bro." Yudai urged Rei, who gave him a smile. "With pleasure. A warrior born in the flames of the sun and reborn after the reign of the invaders! Descend my avatar! Ride! Crusader of the Sun, Sol Ezel!" _(Grade 3, 11000)_ As the card struck the vanguard circle, Yudai saw the image. The fire-clad warrior burst out from the volcano and landed on the battlefield, pointed one of his swords at him. Yudai looked around him. He saw the landscape, the same one as was on the Interactive Fight Table. He saw that he was wearing Nova's armour. Ezel roared loudly, causing Yudai to flinch and tread backwards a little.

"What...am I seeing? What is this?!" He asked himself.

"Yudai!" He heard Rei call out. He gasped, and when he looked around he was back in the card shop. "Are you okay, buddy? You totally blanked for a second there." Yudai gave his head a shake and then looked Rei dead in the eye, awaiting the rest of the turn. He gave him a nod.

A crowd had formed around the fight table, intrigued by Ezel's new appearance, but more so the by unknown clan. "I call Savannah Hurricane Crusader, Sagramore." _(Grade 2, 9000)_

"Something tells me I'll have my work cut if I want to keep up this turn!" Yudai said to himself. "I better keep my guard up."

"Go, Sagramore! Take down Meteor Knight, Chondrite!" _(Power: 9000)_ Once again, Yudai was looking at the strange scene of the real battle. The wolf knight charged and slashed Chondrite, who seemed to disappear into crimson particles of light. Was this some kind of holographic effect made by the table or something?

"Now with support from Nero, here comes Ezel! Go! Divinity Solar Flare!

"I-I don't guard."

"By the way, I forgot to tell you about the cool thing about Grade 3 units. While on the Vanguard circle, they get to Drive Check twice!" Rei said with sickly sweetness. Yudai's pupils shrunk.

"Two drive checks?! That increases the probability of getting a trigger! This is bad!" He said in his head. He gritted his teeth.

"Checking Twin Drive. First Check..."

 _ **[Drive Check] Big Crusader, Kron - No Trigger**_

"Nothing there. Second Check..." To Yudai's dismay, the card glowed in a yellow-ish hue when Rei placed the card in the Trigger Zone.

 _ **[Drive Check] - Masked Crusader - Critical Trigger**_

"A critical trigger! I give the power to Scorch, but I'll have the critical stay with Ezel!" Ezel stood tall as the fire on his armour grew more intense. He leapt into the air and slammed down into Comet Rider, Nova like a meteor, causing Yudai to howl in pain. Every part of that attack, he felt. Why? Why was that?

"Wow. It's cool he imagining it, but this is something else..." Rei said to himself.

"I check the two damages," Yudai said weakly. His body ached a little, and standing had become a chore.

 _ **[Damage Check] Solar Wingshield Dragon - No Trigger**_

 _ **[Damage Check] Starbridge Trooper, Core - Draw Trigger.**_

"Good for you. You get to add 5000 power to your vanguard and draw. But don't think for a second I'm done because Scorch is coming at you boosted by Party Crusader!" _(Power: 20000)_ Even knowing he'd receive more pain, Yudai knew he knew since he didn't have any more triggers in his hand, he would have to use more than one card from his hand to guard. So, he made the rational choice and decide to take the hit. Scorch launched a fireball at Nova, and he took it, causing Yudai to wince.

 _ **[Damage Check] - Star Cluster Titan - No Trigger**_

Yudai's fifth damage was placed into his damage zone.

"Turn end." declared Rei.

Damage: Rei3/6 Yudai:5/6'

Cards in Hand: Rei: 4 Yudai:4

"Stand and draw. I ride Cosmic Saviour, Orionus!" _(Grade 3, 11000)_ Out of nowhere, a comet shot down from the sky and crashed into the battlefield, causing an explosion that made even Ezel flinch and gape in awe. Now, standing before Ezel, was a star knight with bright white and gold armour stood confidently, as two swords made from a beam of green light energy emerged from their cybernetic hilts. He had four wings, made up of photon rays. Yudai frowned. "Damn it. This still isn't enough. If I don't beat him now, he'll beat me for sure. Tch. Whatever, if he beats me, I'll find something else to play. It was fun while it lasted, though..." Yudai said mentally with clenched fist and eyes shut tight. He looked down at Cosmic Saviour, Orionus on the Vanguard Circle. "Sorry, Orionus. You look pretty strong, but unfortunately, you got partnered up with a weakling like me."

"But if something makes you smile, worry and strive this hard, doesn't it seem to you like that thing is something worth fighting for?" Someone said to Yudai. But it wasn't Rei or Misaki. He wasn't in Card Capital or, seemingly, Japan anymore. He was is a void plane, face to face with his card, Orionus. He spoke in a human voice, but with a cybernetic echo behind it.

"What? But how can I...see you like this...?" He asked the warrior.

"You may have already realised this, Yudai Matsuro, but you are special. You have a special connection with us and Cray that only a handful of humans have. Therefore, I am your avatar that will fight for you, and you are the vanguard that will guide us in our path." Yudai's eyes widened. But, he then looked at the ground.

"Sorry, buddy. But once I lose this fight, this will be last time I even look at you."

"Generation Stride," he said to him.

"Huh?" As Yudai opened his eyes and looked up at Orionus. "What are you talking about?"

"The power a chosen one can utilise to alter one's own future by grasping a favourable possibility among an infinity of others. It can turn the darkness into light, and defeat into victory. That is a Generation Stride." Orionus said to Yudai.

"Something like that exists? In that case, can you give it to me?"

"This is not an ability that can be given or taken. The power is dormant inside you. The only step left is for you to awaken it. Farewell!" Orionus and the space around them began to fade away.

"No, wait!" But Yudai pleads were ineffective and he was returned to the real world.

"Dude, you okay? You were blanking out again." Rei asked out concern.

"I have the power inside of me, huh?" Yudai said not even acknowledging his friend's presence. Then it hit him. He grabbed the card Rei lay aside earlier. After staring at it, his pupils dilated and he smirked. "This is it! This is what I've been looking for!" Once again, he felt a strange sensation in his eyes, and his seemed to begin moving on it's on. "Liberating the Generation Zone!" Yudai said dropping a Grade 3 unit from his hand. "Watch, as the stars, the sun, the moon, the entire galaxy reveals to me the future that I truly desire! GENERATION STRIDE! Interplanetary Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon!" _(Grade 4, 15000+)_ Rei stared in disbelief and everyone in the store was amazed. "Thanks to his ability as a G Unit, he gains power equal to Orionus' base power as well as Orionus' name. _(Power: 26000)_ Orionus' skill activates. Since he became a heart for a stride, I counterblast one card and look at the top three cards of my deck, and choose a card from among them, bind it face up, and then I choose a card from my bind zone, and call it to the rear, while simultaneously giving it and my Vanguard an extra 5000 power! So, I bind and then call Unrivalled Fighter of Planets, Vorpal Sword Battler and I give him and my Shooting Star Dragon an extra 5000 power!" _(Power: 900014000)_ _(Power: 2600031000)_ Now for Regulus' ability. I counterblast and can send him and the top card of my deck to the bind zone. and counterblast, bind the top card of my deck and put him into the soul. I draw two cards, then bind a card in my hand face up. I call another Nova, Geo and Asteroid Keeper, Pallas." _(Grade 1, 6000)_ Rei just stared with his mouth hanging open.

"Yudai?"

"Yeah, Rei?" Yudai answered, confused by why his friend was donning such a shocked expression.

"You sly red-headed son of a Flogal! I didn't tell you about the bind zone, Generation Breaks or Stride! You must have played before If not, how'd you pull all of that off?!"

Yudai stared at his field. The units that were placed there, and how the got there. He just did what felt natural to him. And he pulled off something amazing. Was that the power that Orionus said was dormant inside of him? "I...actually don't know. I guess it just came to me..." Misaki was watching attentively.

"This boy...is different from the other fighters. I better keep my eye on him." Misaki said to herself.

"Woah, this cardfight is awesome!" One young boy from the crowd yelled.

"Yeah, there both using cards I've never seen before!" His female friend agreed.

"That red-haired guy's really getting into it!" A young man said, looking away from a fight of his own, much to his opponent's annoyance.

"He's giving the shop's Number One a run for his money! At this point, I don't care who wins this cardfight!"

"Battle time. Nova! Attack Ezel with Geo's boost! _(Power: 18000)_

"I guard with Infernogal and Intercept with Sagramore!" _(Shield: 21000)_

"That's no problem. Pandora boosts Mars who's gonna attack your vanguard! And Mars' Generation Break. He gets 3000 power!" _(Power: 24000)_

"I don't guard. Damage Check."

 _ **[Damage Check] - Flame Wizard Crusader, Scorch - No Trigger**_

"GO! Shooting Star Dragon with a boost from Pallas! Pallas' Generation Break activates. When it boosts a Vanguard, an additional 4000 power is added to my Vanguard's. Now, Interplanetary Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon! Attack with Galaxy Stream!"(Power: 41000) Yudai, from the astral projection of himself, could see the large white dragon charging up a breath attack, and then blasting it at Ezel from up above. Rei smirked, knowing the fight wouldn't be over after just that.

"Sorry, I have to do this to you, Red. Firewall Crusader, Aaron! Perfect Guard!" _(Shield:_ _ ***Cannot be hit***_ _)_

"What?! A Perfect Guard?!"

"Cool, right? No matter what your dragon does, you can't touch Ezel. Sure it left me with one card in my hand, but that was a small price to pay for putting a stop to your last attack. But you still can Triple Drive Check." Shooting Star Dragon shot a beam of cosmic energy at Ezel from its mouth, only to be stopped a wall of fire summoned by a blond haired young man.

 _ **[Drive Check] - Twinkle Lady, Adelaide - No Trigger**_

 _ **[Drive Check] - Astronomical Titan - No Trigger**_

 _ **[Drive Check] - Compassion Star, Cassiopeia - Heal Trigger**_

"With a heal trigger, you can give 5000 power to a unit of your choice and heal one card in your damage zone by putting it into your drop zone. Though, the power won't do you much good right now." Yudai looked down, his bangs covering his eyes.

"It's not over."

"What are you talking about? That attack was the last of your turn. Just let me take mine so I can finish this." said Rei, narrowing his eyes. Yudai quickly lifted his heads and looked Rei in the eye. Then Rei saw it. The light in his eyes. The light of myriad colours dancing in his eyes that told him that the fight was indeed NOT over.

"Activating Shooting Star Dragon's skill! After his battle, I can declare a grade, and after that, I bind the top card of my deck face up. If the grade I guess is the same as the grade on the card, by paying a cost, I can call it to the rear-guard and give it, for just one battle, 10000 power, another critical, and the ability to Drive Check!" Yudai told his friend.

"But that's insane! There's is no way you'll pull that off!" Rei practically yelled. But it wasn't the choice that Yudai made that made him uneasy. It was the confidence Yudai had and the faith he had in his cards, even if he didn't know it.

"Just watch me! I'm calling Grade 3!" Yudai said as he reached for his deck and put the card in the bind zone face down. "I'll show you, Orionus! I'll show that you were right to leave Cosmic Sanctum to in my hands!" Yudai said as an invisible, mysterious aura surrounded him. He flipped over the card. The crowd, Misaki and Rei stared in awe. The card was Cosmic Saviour, Orionus.

"There's just no way..." Rei said as his pupil shrunk in astonishment.

"I did it! Now, with two counterblasts, a soulblast and discarding a card from my hand, I can call him to the field! I retreat Nova. Shine, Defender of the cosmos! Cosmic Saviour, Orionus!" _(Power: 21000) (Critical: 2)_ Rei looked at his hand. He had saved another copy of Sagramore for his next turn, but that wasn't going to help him in that situation. He shrugged and smiled, nonetheless.

"I don't guard. Go for it, Yudai."

"Take him down! Star Sovereign Slash!"

 _ **[Drive Check] - Spatial Magician, Pandora - No Trigger**_

 _ **[Drive Check] - Twinkle Mage - Stand Trigger**_

Orionus jumped up in the air and slashed Ezel with all the power in the galaxy. Rei graciously took two cards from the top of his deck and put them into the damage zone. Yudai was victorious.

"I won?" Yudai asked himself, astonished. Rei walked up to him and gave him a hard pat on the back.

"Is that a question? You totally won, fair a square! Don't tell me you beat me while blanking out of something!" A multitude of people ran up to Yudai and Rei.

"Hey, newbie! You've gotta fight me next!" One person asked

"Yeah, and what's up with that deck, Rei? You holding out on us?" Asked another

"C'mon, Rei. Fight me, unless you're scared, that is." One burly and buff fighter commanded. Yudai sighed.

"What a bother..." Yudai said. Despite his words, he was grinning uncontrollably. "Fine then! I'll take you all on."

However, there was one man with long, blood-red hair in the corner of the shop who did not gather around them like the crowd did. He just sat there alone, drinking coffee for the duration of the fight. He looked over at Yudai out of the corner of his eye. "So, he took the deck, just like I predicted. Perfect, now I can finally move on with my analysis," He said smirking devilishly.

Yudai several more hours at the card shop after that. Of course, after his win, he was asked about his deck a lot, how he won despite, for many more cardfights, and he was introduced to more facts about Vanguard. He walked along a bridge on his way home, staring at his cards with contempt. "You know, Vanguard is actually...pretty fun. I'm sorry I didn't play it with you all those years ago." He said to himself as he passed a younger boy with red hair with an odd swirl pause his walking, then look back at him with a quizzical expression.


	3. Chapter Three: Making it Official Prt 1

Yudai's attitude gradually changed after his first cardfight. Yes, he was still a sarcastic scumbag who liked to repulse the general public but he was learning to interactwith more people and he smiled a little more often. Most days after school he would go to Card Capital and learn more about Vanguard and the dynamics of Cardfights.

Yudai was waiting at the bus stop, tapping his foot impatiently. Rei was running late again, but at this point is their friendship, it was barely surprising. He was very anxious to get to Card Capital to see if the order he had placed the previous week had arrived. Three minutes later, he heard footsteps running towards him and, of course, it was Rei.

"A-Am I t-too l-late?" Rei asked, finding it almost too hard to breath, let alone speak.

"Thankfully for you, no, you are not. Seriously, you're so late all the time, you could practically copyright it!" Yudai scolded, hitting his friend on the head.

"Come on, I'm not that bad." Yudai rolled his eyes and turned away from him. Another two minutes later, the bus arrived.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, boys." The bus driver said in his gruff accent.

"That's no trouble, Sir. Could you drop us off in the town square, please?" Yudai asked politely.

"Certainly! Hop on!" The bus driver said with a smile. Yudai bowed in respect, and him a Rei got on the bus.

"How come you never that polite with me?" Rei whispered to Yudai.

"'Cause you don't deserve it," Yudai replied sharply. About ten minutes later, the came to the bus stop in the town square. Yudai thanked the bus driver and the two headed off to Card Capital. Once they reached there, they were greeted by Misaki.

"Hello, you two. Yudai, your order came in yesterday." She greeted, handing Yudai a form for him to sign.

"That's good. Thanks, Miss Manager." Misaki lead Yudai to the counter. She went behind the counter and took out a box.

"Here, you go. Sent straight from FIVA." Yudai grateful the box and took out a FiCa with white highlights.

"Sweet. My FiCa arrived!" Yudai exclaimed.

"Looks like your an official cardfighter now! That's awesome, but it will take a while before you reach my level." Rei boasted.

"I hope you didn't forget how badly I defeated you the first time I visited here," Yudai said in a deadpan tone, causing Rei to fake cry.

"First things first, I'm going to need to upload your personal details on your FiCa." Misaki told Yudai. He nodded and handed her his FiCa. She put it on a small platform connected to her computer and spent a few minutes typing, and three seconds after that, the FiCa emitted a beeping noise meaning the upload was complete.

"The strength of a fighter is looked upon by the colour of the FiCa. Your FiCa colour is white meaning you're at Grade 0. As you increase your grade, you will be allowed to enter a larger variety of competitions and tournaments." Misaki explained. Yudai nodded and inspected his FiCa.

"Sounds simple enough. That just leaves the question on how I get my grade to incease."

"I was getting to that. Follow me," instructed Misaki. Misaki led Yudai and Rei to a large computer-like object. "This is an Official Vanguard Quest Board. You put your FiCa on the platform to accept a quest. Quest are requests posted by other fighters that they want carried out in exchange for points and sometimes, other items. Quests vary in difficulty, and the more difficult the quest the more points are earned. Now, my work here is done. I need to work on some balance sheets, so you're on your own. Good luck." Misaki said to them, walking away.

"Thanks, I guess." He then turned back to the Quest Board. "Okay, let's see what we got." Yudai went through a couplequests, before he found one that caught his eye.

Name: Izo Hiiro

Clan: Kagero

District: Dragon Empire

"I just finished my new deck and I need to test it I'll be at the Fighter's Plaza. Be there by 4:30 in the afternoon. If you're late, so help you."

Points offered: 100

"This seems like an ideal quest. Simple, yet rewarding. I'm going for it." Yudai placed his FiCa in the specified area and a vanguard circle flashed on the screen. "Later, Rei. I'm going to fight this Izo guy!" Yudai said to his friend.

"Wait! I'm coming too"

Not long later, the two arrived at the Fighter's Plaza.

"Man, this place is huge," Yudai said in shock. The place was an entire shopping mall dedicated to Vanguard. Just how much money did the Vanguard Association have?

"Yeah, I can't believe they made this entire place just for cardfigters. It's amazing how the world of Vanguard is evolving." Rei replied. Yudai checked his watch. It was 4:10.

"We still have 20 minutes. I'm gonna get some lunch. Wanna come?" Yudai asked.

"Nah, I need to go get some new Gold Paladins, but can you get me a burger?" Rei asked his friend. Yudai nodded his head.

"As long as you intend on paying me back with money this time, because the last time you owed me money, you gave those weird fingerless gloves." Rei pointed to Yudai's hands. "Come on. You said they were cool! Admit it, you like them." Rei said smugly.

"Shut up."

After purchasing his meal and Rei's hamburger, Yudai was running towards the plaza, as it was 4:28, two minutes before the agreed meeting time with Izo Hiiro. Yudai was running so fast that he became completely unaware of his surroundings. Suddenly, Yudai collided with a tall figure and he fell over.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention. I deeply apolo..." Yudai said realising the figure he had bumped into was gone. "That's...odd, to say the least," Yudai said dusting himself off and looking around for the person he bumped into until he noticed something on the ground. A brown envelope with his name on it. "Whoever that was must have dropped this..." He looked at the envelope and felt something inside it. "Well, if it has my name on it, it's probably for me." He opened it and took out the contents. His eyes narrowed. "How did these get here?"

Yudai arrived at the plaza at 4:33. "Damn it, I'm late. I hope that Izo guy is still there. He was pretty explicit that he wouldn't tolerate tardiness!" Yudai said to himself. "Are you Yudai Matsuro?" a person behind Yudai asked. Yudai nodded in response.

"Yeah, that's me." He responded. Izo grunted.

"You're late. Lucky for you, though, I decided to stick around for a few minutes. As you should know, the name's Izo Hiiro." Yudai examined him. His hair was brown and he fashioned it in a way that covered his left eye. He wore a grey aviator jacket, a black button up shirt, dark jeans and shin-high boots.

"Yeah, sorry. Something came up. Shall we get started?" Yudai asked. Izo rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Yes. Let's begin." The two headed over to one of the many nearby fight tables.

"Stand Up, Vanguard!"

Both the crimson and vermillion vanguard circles glowed as the battle began.


	4. Chapter Four: Making it Official Prt 2

"Little Stargazer, Regulus!" _(Grade 0, 5000)_

"Perdition Dragon, Crossfire Dracokid!" _(Grade 0, 5000)_

As Yudai stood up his Vanguard, Izo's gaze shifted from expressionless to wonderous.

"Cosmic Sanctum? Is that a new clan or something?" Izo asked.

"How should I know? I only started cardfighting last week. Although, I've asked around and it seems I'm the only one who has it." Yudai answered.

"So first Gear Chronicle, and now Cosmic Sanctum. I wonder if there's some kind of connection." Izo mumbled. Yudai was about to inquire further about this Gear Chronicle he mentioned but was interrupted by Izo wanting to get on with the match.

"Let's see what this Cosmic Sanctum can do! I ride Perdition Dragon Knight, Gia! _(Grade 1, 7000)_ Crossfire moves back behind and I end it there." He declared confidently.

Damage Yudai:0/6 Izo:0/6

Cards in Hand Yudai:5 Izo

"I ride Comet Rider, Geo. _(Grade 1, 8000)_ I move Regulus back and attack." _(Power: 13000)_

"No guard."

"Let's see. Now's the Drive Check." Yudai said put as he put his hand on his deck.

 _[Drive Check] - Stellar Combustion, Zeke - Critical Trigger_

"The luck of a rookie. Damage Check." Izo's statement caused Yudai to frown.

 _[Damage Check] - Perdition Dragon Knight, Tarajev - No Trigger_

 _[Damage Check] - Perdition Dragon, Buster Rain Dragon - Critical Trigger_

"The effects to my vanguard."

"I'm done for now."

Damage Yudai:0/6 Izo:2/6

Cards in Hand Yudai:5 Izo:5

"I ride Perdition Mage, Asticah." _(Grade 2, 10000)_ "I call the Embodiment of Armour, Bahr _(Grade 1, 8000)_ and he'll attack Geo." (Power: 8000)

"I don't guard." Yudai said taking his first damage.

[Damage Check] - Meteor Knight, Ryusei - No Trigger

"Boosted by my Crossfire Dracokid, Asticah attacks your vanguard." (Power: 15000)

"No guard." Izo checked the drive and revealed Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon.

 _[Drive Check] - Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon - No Trigger_

"Damage Check." Yudai declared

[Damage Check] - Compassion Star, Cassiopeia - Heal Trigger

"Awesome! I add 5000 power to my Vanguard I rec-"

"Hold it, newbie. Don't tell me you didn't know that you can't heal damage if my damage is greater than yours." Izo said, obviously disappointed. Why couldn't a strong fighter have accepted his quest?

"Darn it, I forgot. I can't recover any damage!"

"That's it for me." Izo announced.

Damage Yudai:2/6 Izo: 2/6

Cards in Hand Yudai:5 Izo:5

"Stand and Draw. I ride Comet Rider, Nova. _(Grade 2, 10000)_ I call Star of Sanctity, Parsec _(Grade 1, 7000)_ and Comet Rider, Deneb _(Grade 2, 9000)_. Parsec will boost Venus and attack your vanguard. _(Power: 16000)_

Izo hissed. "I don't guard."

 _[Damage Check] - Perdition Dancer, Agafia - Heal Trigger_

"5000 power to Asticah. One damage is recovered." _(Power: 1000015000)_ Izo simply stated. It was obvious he wasn't talkative by nature.

"Great...Regulus boosts Nova and attacks Asticah!" _(Power: 15000)_

"A pitiful attempt. Guarding with Perdition Dragon Knight, Tuvar." _(Shield: 25000)_

"I can't get through that even with a trigger...Whatever."

 _[Drive Check] - Meteor Knight, Chondrite - No Trigger_

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that, kid. You're doing this clan of yours a disservice by playing so poorly." He said condescendingly. Yudai gritted his teeth. Izo was beginning to get on his last nerve.

"Shut up, and take your turn."

Damage Yudai:2/6 Izo:2/6

Cards in Hand Yudai:4 Izo:4

"Stand and Draw. Malicious dragon empowered by hell. Make yourself known! Destroy all who oppose! Ride! Perdition Dragon, Break Down Dragon!" _(Grade 3, 11000)_ On Cray, the ground opened up, magma spilling out of it, and out came a menacing looking dragon, equipped with large artillery. It roared, emitting powerful flames from mouth and weapons causing Yudai's units to stand down. "Bahr moves back and I call Perdition Dragon, Menace Laser Dragon." _(Grade 2, 9000)_ "I activate his skill. I counterblast one card and retire Parsec!" said Izo, pointing at Yudai's rearguard. Menace Laser shot a beam of fiery energy from its horn, shooting Parsec and she was destroyed. "With support from Crossfire, my Vanguard attacks. Adding 2000 power via his skill." _(Power: 18000)_

"I don't guard"

"Then I'll check the Twin Drive."

 _[Drive Check] - Embodiment of Armor, Bahr - No Trigger_

 _[Drive Check] - Perdition Dragon, Glutton Dracokid - Draw Trigger_

"Bahr and Glutton Dracokid. That's 5000 power to Menace Laser and I draw." (Power=900014000)

Yudai winced as Nova was struck by the large dragon. It hurt him...just like it did in his first fight with Rei. Why was that? "Damage Check," he said in between breaths. The card glowed blue.

 _[Damage Check] - Twinkle Mage - Stand Trigger_

"Stand trigger. Power to my vanguard _(Power: 1000015000)_ and I stand Deneb."

"Boosted by Bahr, Menace Laser attacks Comet Rider, Nova. _(Power: 22000)_

"I'll let that one through."

 _[Damage Check] - Azure Lunar Dragon - No Trigger_

"That's it. You're up, newbie," said Izo, looking at his cards rather than at Yudai.

Damage Yudai:4/6 Izo:2/6

Cards in Hand Yudai:4 Izo:6

"Stand and draw!" said Yudai. "Reveal to me a whole galaxy of possibilities! Guide me to the future! Ride, Cosmic Saviour, Orionus!" Yudai's main grade 3 unit descended to the field before Izo's units, readying his weapons. _(Grade 3, 11000)_ "Get ready Izo! Liberating the Generation Zone! Watch as the moon, stars, sun and planets reveal my future to me! GENERATION STRIDE! Rise, Interplanetary Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon!" _(Grade 4, 15000+)_

"So, that's the card I'd heard rumours. That dragon is more magnificent than I had first thought." Izo said, astonished.

"Soon you'll see how magnificent it is when it's blasting your dragon to nothing," Yudai mumbled. "Orionus' Stride Skill. I look at the top three cards of my deck, bind one of them face up, and then I'll call Meteor Knight, Chondrite to rear-guard. _(Grade 2, 9000)_ Adding 5000 power to both him and Shooting Star. _(Power: 900014000)(Power: 2600031000)_ I call another Parsec from my hand."

"Not a bad set up, rookie," said Izo. Yudai grunted in response.

"Deneb attacks your Menace Laser Dragon." _(Power: 9000)_ Yudai rested his card, initiating his battle phase. Deneb shot Menace Laser Dragon, sending it to the drop zone. However, this sacrifice did not faze Izo.

"Boosted by Parsec, Chondrite attacks your Vanguard. His Generation Break kicks in. I counterblast and bind Deneb face up. I search my deck for one of my grade two or below cards, and then call it to rear-guard. Call, Meteor Knight, Ryusei. (Grade 1, 7000) Ryusei's Generation Break adds an additional 4000 power when he's placed on a rear-guard circle." Yudai explained. Izo nodded as his third card flew into the damage zone. But he narrowed his eyes.

"Why would he put Meteor Knight, Ryusei in the back row?"

 _[Damage Check] - Perdition Dragon, Vortex Dragonewt - No Trigger_

"Awesome! Now, I just got to keep on the pressure." Yudai exclaimed internally. "Supported by Regulus, Shooting Star attacks your vanguard!" _(Power: 36000)_

Izo glanced at his hand and then shrugged. "No guard."

"Checking Triple Drive."

 _[Drive Check] - Solar Wingshield Dragon - No Trigger_

 _[Drive Check] - Azure Lunar Dragon - No Trigger_

 _[Drive Check] - Stellar Combustion, Zeke - Critical Trigger_

"Two checks may have been nothing, but I got a Critical Trigger! I keep the Critical with Shooting Star Dragon, but I'll give the Power to Ryusei!" _(Shooting Star's Critical: 12)(Ryusei's Power: 1100016000)_

Izo frowned. "Giving power to a back row unit with nothing in front? What is this kid planning?"

"Now! Interplanetary Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon's skill! I'm declaring Grade 2! Then, I bind the top card of my deck. If that card has the same grade as the one I declared, I can call it with several awesome bonuses. This'll finish you. This is...huh?" Yudai was shocked to see that the card he revealed was Compassion Star, Cassiopeia: a Grade 0 card, and a Heal Trigger at that. Definitely not the Grade 2 he needed.

"Dang it! I was really banking on that." Yudai complained as she put the card on the bottom of his deck.

"So, that was your 'plan'? Using a card like that to finish me off?" Yudai lifted his head to see Izo was glaring at his, the fury clear in his eyes. "You would dare insult me by attempting to defeat me with luck rather than skill?! For that, I will punish you. I'll make sure you burn and don't stop burning. You're about to experience the ever feared flames of Perdition!"

Damage Yudai:3/6 Izo:4/6

Cards in Hand Yudai:7 Izo:6

Izo initiated the standard turn procedure. "I ride the dragon who's flames forever burn, ravage and destroy! Seek out my enemies and annihilate them with your purgatorial crimson flames! Perdition Dragon, Vortex Dragonewt!" _(Grade 3, 11000)_ A pillar of crimson fire erupted from the already card ground. From it, emerged a great, blue-scaled dragon whose wings, claws and mouth leaked like fire. To assert its superiority, it released a menacing roar, causing the earth to rumble, and the ground to leak magma. "There are four cards in my drop zone. Two storms that will drag the weak into a fiery demise. Legion!" Izo took four cards from his drop zone, put them into his deck and then took a copy of 'Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon', shuffled his deck and placed the card next to Vortex Dragonewt on the Vanguard circle! _(Legion Power: 20000)_

Yudai's pupils almost shrunk into non-existence. "Legion? Two cards on the Vanguard circle? There's just no way..."

"You really are a newbie. And it's going to cost you." Izo declared menacingly.


	5. Chapter Five: Making it Official Prt 3

Yudai looked at his hand. Seven cards. He wasn't quite sure what Legion was, but he expected with this amount of cards in his hand, he shouldn't have a problem defending against it.

"I call Perdition Battler, Maleisei _(Grade 1, 7000)_ , Bahr and Asticah. Moving Crossfire Dracokid to the soul. Giving a skill to Legion. Now, activating Vortex Dragonewt's skill." He flipped to cards in his damage zone face down, then lifted a card between his fingers and revealed it to Yudai. Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon. He placed the card into the drop zone, and in Yudai's eyes, it glowed. "I retire Chondrite and Regulus. Then, you put the top card of your deck into the damage zone as a damage check. Trinity Crimson Flame!" Whirlwind Dragon flew above Yudai's force and breathed down a rain of fire, scorching Regulus and Chondrite. Then, Vortex Dragonewt grabbed Orionus with his deathly large claws and blasted his with crimson flames. Yudai yelled out and fell to his knees. It hurt. It really did. But the question was why did it hurt? Yudai looked at the top card of his deck, hoping for some form of salvation.

 _[Damage Check] - Compassion Star, Cassiopeia - Heal Trigger_

"At least I got a heal trigger. I'll-"

"Wrong again," Izo stated. Yudai looked up at him, worried. "A little added bonus with the damage is that any trigger revealed in that damage check gets its effect nullified. Perdition's true power." The Heal Trigger icon on Cassiopeia card burned and Yudai grunted as he put it in the damage zone.

"Because the Chondrite in front of him was retire, Maleisei gains an additional 3000 power. _(Power: 700010000)_ Vortex Dragonewt also gains an additional 3000 power for each rear-guard I retire. So, that's 6000." _(Power: 1100017000)_

Yudai felt his confidence fade. He felt the seven cards in his hand might as well be zero. "I don't know if I'm gonna make it out of this..." Yudai mumbled under his breath, though Izo heard.

"I would agree. Now for the Battle Phase. Asticah attacks your Vanguard with support from Bahr." _(Power: 18000)_

"I guard with Stellar Combustion, Zeke." _(Shield: 21000)_

"In that case, I'll have Legion attack your Orionus." _(Power: 26000)_

"Grr...I'll have Solar Wingshield Dragon defend me. By discarding a card from my hand, it becomes a complete guard!" _(Shield: *Cannot be Hit*)_

"I'll check the Twin Drive."

[Drive Check] - Perdition Dragon, Rampart Dragon - No Trigger

[Drive Check]- Perdition Dragon, Break Down Dragon - No Trigger

Izo scowled, knowing he couldn't use Crossfire Dracokid's skill if Legion's attack wasn't successful. "Boosted by the Bahr on the left, Maleisei attacks!" (Power: 21000)

"Twinkle Mage will guard! Along with Alastor!" (Shield: 26000) Yudai declared, leaving him with two cards in his hand. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his face. He had survived...barely.

Izo tightened his gaze. "Not bad. Turn End."

Damage: Yudai-5 Izo-4  
Hand: Yudai-2 Izo-4

"Stand and draw. Ok, here goes. If I mess up here, I'm finished." Yudai said in his head. "Liberating the Generation Zone! GENERATION STRIDE! Sacred dragon of the galaxy, strike down the enemy with your cosmic blade! Shine bright, Interplanetary Dragon, Supernova Saver Dragon!" _(Grade 4, 15000+)_  
A dragon with glowing white scales descended from the sky and roared courageously. It had six wings that were coated in heavenly blue flames and, in its right hand, it held a shining, lustrous orb glowing with cosmic energy that had six rings orbiting it. The astral projection of Yudai on Cray looked at the mighty beast. He remembered staring at it in awe as his opened the envelope earlier that day. "Will you lead me to victory?" he asked. The dragon hummed in response.

"Interesting..." Said Izo, examining the card in front of him. "Orionus' Stride Skill activates. Counterblast! I bind and the superior call Comet Rider, Nova from my deck! Adding 5000 power to Nova and my Vanguard. _(Nova's Power: 1000015000)(Supernova Saver Dragon's Power: 2600031000_ ). From my hand, Azure Lunar Dragon _(Grade 3, 11000)_ and Demi Star Warrior, Alastor _(Grade 1, 7000)_. Now, activating Supernova Saver's skill! I bind Azure Lunar and Alastor face up and give 5000 power to my other three rear-guards! _(Nova's Power: 1500020000)(Parsec's Power: 700012000)(Ryusei's Power: 700012000)_ Parsec gain's 3000 power each time a card is sent to the bind zone during the turn via it's Generation Break, so that means an additional 9000 power! _(Power: 1200021000)_ And lastly, I activate Deneb's Generation Break from the bind zone. I choose the Alastor in my bind zone, put it on the bottom of my deck and then I get to call her to the field with an additional 2000 power!" _(Power: 900011000)_

Izo was caught between of crossroads of shock and annoyance. "And after I just messed up his formation and cleared his hand...Maybe this kid is better than I thought." He thought.

"Battle begin! Boosted by Ryusei, Nova attacks Legion!" _(Power: 32000)_

Izo glanced at the four cards in his hand. "I don't guard. Damage Check."

 _[Damage Check] - Perdition Dragon, Glutton Dracokid - Draw Trigger_

"5000 power to my vanguard and I draw a card."

"Darn it...Well, Supernova Saver attacks your Legion!" _(Power: 31000)_

"Perdition Dragon, Rampart Dragon guards that. Perfect Guard." _(Shield: *Cannot be Hit*)_

"Whatever! I still have Triple Drive!"

 _[Drive Check] - Cosmic Saviour, Orionus - No Trigger_

 _[Drive Check] - Comet Rider, Geo - No Trigger_

 _[Drive Check] - Stellar Combustion, Zeke - Critical Trigger_

"Critical Trigger! I give everything to Deneb! _(Power: 1100016000)(Critical: 12)_ Attack Legion with a boost from Parsec! Let's finish this!" (Power: 37000) Deneb shot a bullet infused with all sorts of cosmic energy at the two dragons but a red dragon hurled itself in front the attack, raised his hands and made a barrier.

"Perdition Dragon, Rampart Dragon. Perfect Guard." (Shield: *Cannot be Hit*)

Yudai slumped his shoulders. All that power. All that effort. And all he could push for was one damage?

Damage: Yudai-5 Izo-5  
Hand: Yudai-3 Izo-0

Izo stood his units. "Yudai Matsuro," Yudai looked at Izo, awaiting what he had to say. "I've recognised you as a cardfighter. While your skills are lacking and you have yet to develop a plausible strategy, I see that you a strong in your own right. But this is where it ends. Liberating the Generation Zone! Burn it all away! Generation Stride! True Perdition Dragon, Vortex Dragonewt! _(Grade 4, 15000+)_ I counterblast two cards and then G Persona Blast. I choose I choose a rear-guards in each column shared by a card with 'Perdition' in its name. Then, for each open rear-guard circle you have that's in the same column as a card with 'Perdition' in its name, the units in my front row get 5000 power! In front each respective unit there is one open rear-guard, so that means they each get 5000 power. Maleisei also gets an additional 3000 power. _(700015000)(1000015000)(2600031000)_ My Vanguard attacks Orionus." _(Power: 31000)_ he announced. Yudai looked at his hand. A total shield of 15000 is all he could muster.

"...No guard..."

"Triple Drive."

 _[Drive Check] - Perdition Dragon, Buster Rain Dragon - Critical Trigger_

 _[Drive Check] - Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon - Not Trigger_

 _[Drive Check] - Perdition Dragon Knight, Tuvar - Critical Trigger_

"The power will be split to my to columns, but the critical's stay with Vanguard!" (Critical: 13) The blue dragon roared a sea of flames, engulfing Orionus and his forces. Yudai fell backwards as the power of Izo's card overwhelmed him.

 _[Damage Check] - Cosmic Saviour Orionus - No Trigger_

"The weak crush the strong. The laws of nature prevail once again." Izo declared indifferently. He packed up his cards and slid them into his Grade 3 FiCa. "Train more, and maybe you can reach my level.

Yudai and Izo walked out of the Fighter's Plaza after their fight. Izo stopped in his tracks, and Yudai did also. Izo turned to him. "You weren't able to defeat me, but you completed the task of the quest, so you do get rewarded. Give me your FiCa." Yudai did as he was told and gave him his FiCa. Then, Izo's pupils shrunk in shock. Yudai was Grade 0, the lowest possible rank of fighter. "This kid was this strong at Grade 0?" He looked up at Yudai and narrowed his eyes. "Yudai Matsuro...I'll have to keep my eye on you..." Yudai looked at him, puzzled as to why he was staring at him?

"What's up?" he asked. Izo shook his head and continued signing the FiCa.

"Nothing." After a sound, he handed Yudai back the FiCa. "I also put my contact info in there. Once you get stronger, I'll cardfight you again. You and your clan have piqued my interest." He told him. Yudai grinned.

"Huh, what makes you think I want to see your ugly mug again?" He taunted, though it was ineffective. Izo smirked and began to walk off.

"Whatever, Star-boy. Next time we fight, I'll make sure I'll crush you harder than I have already."

"Izo Hiiro," Yudai said to himself as he saw the guy walk away. "I can tell you're a cold-hearted, mean-spirited jerk, but I guess you're cool." He said with a smile. It seems that Vanguard was really more than just winning fights and establishing your dominance, it was about meeting new people and improving yourself as a person and as a fighter. Yudai was never the social type, but it felt good to make a new friend (if he could call him one...) and he had also realised something very important. "I need to get better at this game..."


End file.
